Where Were You?

Early Mekons can be wildly erratic, part punk, part Dada. But their key singles - "Never Been in a Riot" and "Where Were You?" - remain remarkable. The former pokes fun at the Clash's "White Riot." "Where Were You?" is something of a one sided conversation with an object of desire. It's punk, but not punk, with a touch of loneliness thrown in. The Mekons got better and more interesting later on, and they're still as strong as ever (2002's "OOOH," a convenient acronymn for "Out of Our Heads," is actually one of the band's best), but this song is still pretty good stuff.